Dragon Roll Recipe – Sushi Roll Recipes

What is Dragon Roll

The dragon roll is a very famous sushi recipe in Japan. It is an inside out, particularly thick sushi roll.

Traditionally, it is filled with eel and cucumber wrapped with a thin layer of avocado. The green slices of avocado look like the scales of a dragon.

This dragon roll is also known as a caterpillar roll because of its green color. However, nowadays a lot of variations have been made into the recipe and now dragon rolls can be found in many different colors with a variety of fillings.

As most people in the west do not prefer eel, the dragon roll is made with shrimp tempura here. It is made the same inside-out manner with nori sheet in the middle of the roll, wrapped around the fillings and the sushi rice is on the top.

Avocado is still used as the outer layer of the roll, representing the scales of the dragon however many different versions of this roll are being served. For example, Red Dragon Roll and Black Dragon Roll etc.

Difference between Red Dragon Roll and Black Dragon Roll

Both the Black Dragon Roll and Red Dragon Roll features different fillings and toppings but to be honest, it doesn’t make any difference because none of them would disappoint you.

However, as far as the differences are concerned; Black Dragon Roll is served with a filling of spicy tuna salad while in the Red Dragon, fresh crab is used as meat. On toppings, Black Dragon Roll is served with Serrano peppers, peppered tuna, ponzu and red onion, giving it a dark exotic look which resembles the legendary Black Dragon.

On the other hand, the Red Dragon roll has a topping of smoked Steelhead salmon with sprinkled sesame seeds.

So can you make up your mind yet? No right! Just get them both!!

Okay, enough about getting our mouth watery by discussing the deliciousness of sushi and let’s start talking about how to make it.

All the varieties of Dragon Roll only differ in the meat that’s being used and the topping, you can easily follow the recipe below while changing the fillings and toppings to make different kinds of Dragon Roll Sushi.

In this recipe, I am using shrimp tempura with avocado topping. Here it goes!

Dragon Roll Ingredients

8pieces shrimp tempura

2TbspTobiko sauce

2cups of sushi rice

2sheets of Nori

2 medium-sizedavocados

1medium-sized cucumbers

Few drops oflemon

For toppings

Spicy Mayo

black sesame seeds

Unagi Sauce (optional)

How to make a Dragon Roll: Step by Step Instructions

Cut avocado length wise, making ¼ inches thick slices.

Spray some lemon juice on top of the avocado to keep it from turning brown.

To prevent the rice from sticking on the bamboo mat, cover it with a plastic sheet.

Cut the Nori sheet in half and place it on the mat. You can either tear it or use scissors just make sure both parts are equal and even.

Wet your hands with a cup of water or vinegar and start spreading the rice on top of the Nori sheet. Do not press the rice too much or it would get sticky and lose all the fluffiness.

Carefully turn the sheet over so that the rice is facing the bamboo mat.

Place the shrimp tempura on the Nori sheet and put cucumber strips on top of it. Add tobiko at the opposite edge of the Nori. If you want to add unagi, this is the point where you do it.

Grab the bottom edge and with the help of bamboo mat start folding the nori sheet tightly over the filling.